I've been spending the past week or so slowly relaxing, starting to work on my dissertation and fiddling with odds and ends. The only really interesting news from my end is that I'm running as a Green candidate in the local elections this May, so if you're in the Whitley Ward in Reading, Berkshire you know who to vote for if you like more democratic participation (such as participatory budgets), free software in local government, and progressive policies on climate change ;)

Rob Myers pointed me to a very funny collision of corporate marketing, appropriation culture and green politics. General Motors has teamed up with Donald Trump's 'The Apprentice' franchise to create a website that allows prospectives to make their own commercials online. Unfortunately for the dim-witted company, lots of people have decided to send their own message back with hilarious videos attacking the car's appallingly low fuel efficiency, amongst other defects. Some good examples here and here. As Mark Steel writes in today's Independent, lambasting the middle class owners of SUVs and other indefensibly destructive habits, "the richer someone is, the more influence they have over the environment, yet the less they seem to give a toss about it."

My dissertation work is going well. Endless reading of papers on philosophical justifications for and ethical dimensions of intellectual property. I've got some good notes though, and a growing sense of direction for the project, which will probably try to clarify the concepts of consumption, remixing, learning and sharing that I think are central to free culture. It will be an articulation of positive values rather than a John Perry Barlow/Lawrence Lessig-style pragmatic attack on copyright, or a David Berry-style integration of libre culture into a wider political theory :)

Having almost no friends about in Reading (holidays), and now briefly visiting my parents, I'm also taking the opportunity to read some novels (currently the alrightish Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell) and some books not related to my MA (currently a book on the theory of the New Right in Britain). And it's sunny, I can sit outside and slowly heat up... lovely!

Next week I'll get stuck back into SpreadKDE work and, with any luck, find myself made very happy by Aaron. Oh, and anyone living near to London and interested in free software & culture should come along to this Free Culture UK meetup this Saturday. Lots of relaxed, practical discussions with academics, record label people, advocates, activists and other randomly interested people... and FREE PIZZA! Pop your name on the wiki if you're intending to come!