I'm back. Thanks to those of you who noticed I was gone. I was participating in a one day boycott of livejournal, in protest at their policy on pictures of breastfeeding.

I have been rather unimpressed with LiveJournal's attempts to defend their icons policy. Two specific examples:

1. The comment by a supporter of Livejournal, presumably idonotlikepeas, here that:

   the entire thing smacks to me of bending to entirely the wrong kind of pressure. I can't speak for LJ's policy arm, but if they gives in to a spam campaign, that only encourages the next group that wants a change in policy to engage in the same kind of campaign.

   This strikes me as incredibly politically inept. I appreciate that idonotlikepeas specifically states that he or she does not speak for livejournal, but telling users that the greater the number of them disagreeing with a particular LJ policy, the more likely they are to be ignored, is not a good way to build a community.


2. The response by "Anil" to a post on John Scalzi's blog, basically telling everyone to cool it, because there are rapes going on in Congo, without disclosing the crucial element of context that "Anil" is Anil Dash, has been working for SixApart since it was founded.

You know what, Anil? I think my colleagues probably know more about what's going on in the Congo than your colleagues do. And the way you and your colleagues are handling this issue still sucks.

Edited to add: Anil Dash has emailed me apologising for being "intemperate and rude", which is more than he needed to, given that it wasn't my blog he posted on. So good marks to him for that. Let us hope that LJ's considered response shows the same sane and sensible approach.

In London last week I bought the first of the Big Finish audio plays, The Sirens of Time, featuring Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. Four episodes, one with each Doctor and the last with them all together, sorting out the latest threat to Gallifrey. The plot isn't much, but I did like the execution - the first and third episodes, set respectively on a planet where a political prisoner is living out a lifelong exile, and on a spaceship where all the crew disappear except the android pilot and a member of the catering staff, both reminded me rather of the original Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The second episode, set on a first world war U-Boat, was very atmospheric. You know where the resolution is going as soon as you hear the very first scene (Time Lords under threat, again...) but it was reasonably good fun.

Not sufficiently good fun for me to want to plough through the whole Big Finish list. However there is a handy ranking of them by fans: the top twelve are Chimes of Midnight, Catch 1782, Spare Parts, Holy Terror, Time Works, Singularity, The Council of Nicaea, The Veiled Leopard, The One Doctor, Night Thoughts, Davros, and Doctor Who And the Pirates. Anyone have any views on these, or indeed on any others not mentioned? I think the historical background of The Council of Nicaea, and the musical arrangement of Doctor Who and the Pirates, sound particularly intriguing.

I also listened to the audio play, Whatever Happened to Susan? starring Jane Asher as Susan with parts also for Ian, Barbara and Jo Grant. All a bit silly, and quite out of whack with "established" Doctor Who continuity. But I was rather amused by a) the line about how Susan was sure her grandfather now looks younger than her (in fact, every Doctor since 1981 has been younger than Carole Ann Ford) and b) the revelation of what Susan ends up doing in the present day. I rather wish it had been her - the position was not in fact created until 1999, five years after the play was broadcast, and the person who held it then was absolutely useless...