Google Alternatives

Does anyone know of a good alternative search engine to Google, one that hasn’t sold its principles off because the Yen is more important than openness and free access to information. Look what happened in Europe when money was more important than fascism before WWII. China is a lot bigger and more powerful than pre-war Germany, letting them have their way with the flow of information..Well just do the math. You can argue that if Google don’t get in there some one else will. Yes they would and we can stand up and tell whoever does that we know what they are, and do our bit to run them out of town. we are not stupid. People know evil when they see it, and okay we've got used to having cheap stuff by the bucket load, and we know that's the motorvator, but people are not stupid, even though we've all taken the bait, I find I still have faith enough to know that people know in their guts what's going on

I guess any alternative would have to be non US based too, as the US idea of democracy at the moment seems to be dictatorship with doublespeak so that accessing people’s personal data is for their freedom, have you ever heard such bollocks. A shame really America used to be an inspiration to the world. How much has been forgotten.

So come on kick Google in the goolies, and lets have some choices

date with myself

Got that lovely first date feeling today, I'm having a date with myself, an artist's date, as outlined in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, theres a poetry reading on at Manchester Central Library, so that's research. I'm taking the train instead of driving so i get some exercise walking to the station, I get to do my dairy on the train. I'll have lunch at Circle and write a bit of a scene for my play, so working but enjoying as I go along, and getting out and about, as I do feel the winter bogged down thing going on. January..... still we grow ourselves in the dark and cold, don't we?

space rock

lots of space rock in the house tonight, and transferred to my iPod. hawkwind, gong and Tim Blake, yowser...been watching the first couple of episodes of 'Chocky's Children' too. Do they still make stuff like this?

admin fall

Raggy from too little sleep, I still find myself in good humor but working slowly through the pile of stuff, Yes I'm no longer in Scotland, decided i could do better work in my studio with my books in front of me.

Right now trying to sift through recordings to send to Vienna for use in schools there, and putting a pile of my books into a package for The Poetry Library, and If my head unfugs I will put a book out for bookcrossing, which is leaving it on the street, with a serial number and web address for anyone to find, much better than charity shopping books. theres a website all about this practice at www.bookcrossing.com

again with the testing

just trying out my dash blog thingy which hasn't been working well at all

up.

up.
Originally uploaded by John Siddique.

and up, and up, it feels like yr gonna fall off the world

Banff Harbour

Banff Harbour
Originally uploaded by John Siddique.

Lost

Lost
Originally uploaded by John Siddique.

Desk Landscape Scotland

Desk Landscape Scotland
Originally uploaded by John Siddique.

each piece of work creates a new landscape, in books, paper, pens, files and research materials. The desk is an organic place that changes with one's creativity. This is my Desk in Scotland, and today it has produced a poem that has been lurking around in my brain for weeks but needed a catalyst, which finally occurred this morning on finding a butterfly in my room fluttering against the window wanting to get out, and this the 9th of january. I don't think its good to think about the portents of such a thing too much.

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One of the greatest inventions must be the electric blanket, it makes being here much easier to work with, sure it sounds like a good idea, a month away writing, but goddamn its harsh on the lonliness muscle.

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hey any writers reading this, when did you las back up your hard-drive, its my new religion... back up, back up its my No.1 Mantra

Roots

Roots, originally uploaded by John Siddique.

a narly old thing which fascinated me on my walk into the village to get the paper today.

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I've done some more work on the second book, and written the final key 'backbone' poem which will give the book its shape.

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the electricity went off for two hours this aftenoon, so i found myself editing by candle light and huddling into the log fire

more pics here if you'd like a guided tour of where I'm staying

Strathdon the sun goes down at 2.50pm

Highlands

Am away in the highlands of Scotland, with a huge pile of reading, a bigger pile of writing to knock into shape, two books and a play, and an addiction to old sci-fi, so I'm not doing much yet of what I'm supposed to be doing.

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had haggis for my tea last night delish...yumm

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have begun to sequence what I hope will become my next collection, there is a definite shape to this. I know its very soon after 'The Prize,' but that book took two years to come out, so I have not stopped writing through all that time so there is loads of material.