Dan Gillmor: “We the media – Grassroots Journalism by the people for the people.” O’Reilly 2004/Paperback 2006 £10 *** (3 out of 5) The problem with books about the Internet is the timeliness: as soon as they are written, edited, published and printed, they are already out-of-date. And whilst the Internet and world-wide web don’t explicitly feature in the title of the book or most of the chapters, it exclusively focuses on grassroots media on the Internet. And, of course, the author doesn’t mention podcasting or “YouTube” or “Odeo” or “MySpace” or “CommentIsFree” or “Grokster” yet, as its actuality is based on the technology in 2003.

This weekend, Word-Power’s 10th Radical and Independent Bookfair is taking place in the former Drill Hall “Out of the Blue” in Leith Walk. Michael Albert was fantastic with his presentation about a “participative economy“. It was just a so empowering and optimistic talk, that I now wanna run out and get and read all of his books. It was also a really Down-to Earth presentation. Also I enjoyed **Achin Vanaik’**s talk about the defintions of terrorism in the slot about “Political Terrorism and the US Imperial project“. He really distinguished very well between all the different definitions of this violent tactic according to purpose and effects, organisation and strategy, and he included state terrorism, too, which I found quite important.

After 3 months, I finally got a proper filling in my tooth. Really, I was very astonished when I found out that I first mentioned the lost filling on the 22nd of July, and now, finally, last Monday in the morning of the 2nd of October I got the filling. Since the middle of August it started really hurting and then I discovered a black increasing hole in my tooth. I went to my NHS dentist and they first gave me a date, but when I appeared, the new alarm system had locked them all out, at the second date the pregnant dentist was sick and off work and the third I rang up to tell them I would be a bit late and they then cancelled the appointment and said I would have to wait a month till the new dentist would arrive, or come back in the morning and pay privately to have it done immediately.

Today this blog entry received a comment, asking for help: “omg help I lost my hamster and I don’t know what to do please help me it’s been 2 days”. Hamsters are escapologists. They make break-outs a profession. They are such curious little love hearts and regard themselves as explorers as well. Don’t worry about your hamster. It will be back. Just leave the cage on the floor with some food in and his homely sleeping house and he will return regularly at night to fill up his cheeks. My hamster likes to dig himself into and behind the sofa and the heating when he is out on leave.

In October we’ll have the Independent Radical Bookfair in Edinburgh, guests are Vandana Shiva and Michael Albert from Z Magazine, George Monbiot, Ilan Pappe and others. Exactly at the same weekend, Document4, the Human Rights Film Festival, is happening in Glasgow, and we have got the Argentinian film makers coming over to screen ithefilm about Argentina Indymedia the same weekend. I am looking forward to it in some way, but in another I am a bit pissed off with the scene at the moment. Basically after the G8, I got to realise that hierarchical decision-making has got its advantages, too. Basically, it gets macho men to take responsibility for tidying up their mess.