Attracting people to blogs, and writing for them – which comes first?

In my view, that would be the latter, every time. One of the most frequent cries for help in the WP forum is “how can I get people to visit my blog?” All too often, a look at the blog throws up another question – why would they? All too often that plea comes from [...]

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Life with Kindle, two months on…

My Kindle, I think it’s fair to say, has inserted itself into my life as deeply and securely as, say, my PC. Already, since I’ve owned the Kindle a mere 2 months, I feel as if I’ve had it forever, so familiar has it become. And as I think I’ve said elsewhere, it’s perfect for [...]

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Atheists, agnostics, and the 2011 census…

The British Humanist Association has launched a campaign to encourage non-believers, and the seriously lapsed, to tick the “no religion” box on the 2011 census form with the aim of challenging religious privilege in Britain, says the Guardian. This is because the 37-odd million recorded Christians aren’t reflected in church attendance, and the BHA think [...]

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Should vendors know what they’re selling?

You’d think so, wouldn’t you, but way too many numpties have no clue about what they’re selling online. OK, you sort of expect that on eBay, but not with mainstream online stores. I’ve just bought a new mobe (a Sony Ericson Xperia X10 mini Pro, should you be wondering). Nice little phone but, like quite [...]

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What I’m reading right now – part of an occasional series…

All on my Kindle. Currently I have nothing on paper to be read, which was the idea since, as I’ve said, I’m running out of book space. I’ve always read a lot but, since getting the Kindle, I seem to be reading a lot more than I have been in recent years, and the think [...]

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On buying new crutches…

It’s not just clothes sizing that’s gone to hell, it’s the same with crutches. I’ve been using crutches for a decade or two, and always the type with ergonomic grips, and it’s the grips that tend to wear out, being of a material that becomes slightly friable with age. So I’ve ordered a

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The Campaign for Real Books…

There is now, almost inevitably, given the huge uptake of the Amazon Kindle, a Campaign for Real Books (Cambo). The Cambo website says “The future is paper.” And that’s really the problem with books – paper. As I’ve said before, books in bulk take up a hell of a lot of space, but apart from [...]

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World COPD Day…

November 17 is World COPD Day, when we’re encouraged to visit our doctors for a spirometry test. As I’ve mentioned before, I have serious problems with this. I don’t know about anyone else, but my COPD tends to fluctuate more or less randomly. Some days, like today, I’m wheezy but otherwise breathing quite well**. On [...]

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GPs to use GOLD standard for COPD

And not before time, either. I’ve been using the GOLD guidelines to manage my COPD for over

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Want medical information? Ask the people who have it – the patients…

Two headlines in Pulse magazine:- Fewer antibiotics prescribed for RTIs, study finds and No antibiotic class stands out in treatment of LRTIs Access both from the above link if you’re signed up to Pulse. The thing is, I’ve been arguing both these points for years – antibiotic prescribing for COPD flare-ups or other lung infection [...]

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