Articles: April, 2009

Who is doing Swine Flu’s PR?

April 30, 2009

Swine Flu is set to sweep the world. Just like Avian Flu. Only, just like Avian Flu, it won’t. Why not? Because the media can’t get enough of evil viruses sweeping the world, and enjoy nothing better than hyping them up when the likelihood of more than a handful of people contracting this swinish bug [...]

Euan Blair to set new privacy precedent?

April 30, 2009

Here’s an interesting claim. Euan Blair, the 25-year-old son of former Prime Minister Tony and illustrious barrister Cherie, has brought proceedings against the Sunday Express for invasion of privacy.
For years, Tony and Cherie Blair fought to keep their children out of the public eye, reaching various deals with newspapers to help preserve some sense of [...]

Twitter: Eight Reasons To Be Fearful

April 30, 2009

One of Swordplay’s denizens has been invited to join Twitter. Admittedly he is more of a traditionalist than many of his brethren, who, even as they toil deep within the Swordplay labyrinth, have long since been Tweeting away on Twitter, the world’s latest must-have communication utility.
But our traditionalist, helpfully known as Mr Trad, is fending [...]

The Obscure Art of Typography

April 29, 2009

Do correctly proportioned margins for text pages matter? Should paragraphs be indented? Can they survive if a space is inserted between them? How, exactly, to express points of suspension?
These and other questions will occur if you happen upon a new book on Jan Tschichold, master typographer. You might not have thought to ask them, but [...]

A Boring City is a Desirable City

April 29, 2009

The Independent brings us news of the world’s most desirable cities. The top three, according to a survey conducted by American management consultancy Mercer (which specialises in helping relocate corporate executives), are:
1. Vienna
2. Zurich
3. Geneva
We’re not sure of the criteria used by Mercer, but being extremely dull must have been high on the list.
The boring [...]