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A JWT survey report says women are more likely than men to own game consoles?

Can that be right, even considering the Wii? Does it count moms who would be the family member to buy and register a product for a little kid, maybe?

If it is true we all have to reformulate our idea of the geek. Better still, put the geek stereotype to rest because plugging in is mainstream now.

Keepers of Harry Potter fan sites were invited to a conference call promoting a new movie starring Daniel Ratcliffe, who plays Harry in the Potter movies.

Of course they're going to feel flattered and write about it -- a lot, and probably rave. Really smart. Find the bloggers who care and give them access. So much better than astroturfing nonsense that tries to create community rather than find and tie in to existing communities. So much smarter than working to thrust crafted marketing messages on carelessly chosen lists of bloggers. Expellimarus, Bacon's!

Have you noticed there's a slight drift away from tech boys talking about making things so simple their moms can figure them out? I've heard more references lately to grandmas. Sorry, it's no better in my book because we're still talking about a female held up as the clueless one. And, sorry, the fact that it's usually guys who are saying it gives it meaning. I still like the idea of calling this representative icon, "Uncle Charley." Though, now I think of it, he was the housewife on My Three Sons. Lovable character played by William Demarest -- eh, maybe he was more like the household's wagon train cook than a housewife. Either way I'd like one in my home.

What a darling little car, but why does it have to cost $27k or even $17k in Canada?

How do you get four people in there?

Out of the Darkness Overnight is the name of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention walkathon to be held in July. The idea is the 20-mile walk starts in the darkness and ends at dawn.

Powerful imagery, nice idea.

This is really telling. A commenter on the Northern Voices blog asks, not "Are there podcasts of the sessions?" but "Where are the podcasts."

It's an expected thing now.

Check out today's post on 0xDECAFBAD.

This sort of thing warms my heart. I used to think I was born in the wrong century to thrive in a cottage industry culture, but if we burn down a bunch of 20th century effluvia, it's just the right time.

Les writes well for a programmer, doesn't he? And he reads OSC's Alvin Maker series! That shows some good taste, too.

So long, Betty, and thanks for all the fish.

My story of becoming a feminist at age 8.

BBC News reports on study results published in New Scientist magazine, "Sex cuts public speaking stress".

But it only works with the regular old hetero act.

James Cox tosses out a bunch of neat ideas about coffee shop work and co-working arrangements for solo folks.

I really like my regular 9-5 job, partly because I'm allowed quite a bit of flexibility -- and in return they get a lot more than 40 hours a week of work out of me. A fair deal, I believe. But, I still have the poet's soul and daydream about solo life once in a while. I've done it three different times -- once for 8 years when my kids were little, but I needed more structure. Even the couple of years when I had a great little office over a storefront, I'd indulge in naps and novels when I was there.

So, it wasn't just that I needed a place to go. I needed a place to go where there were other people. And as James says, even better if they are inspiring likeminded people.

Have you ever looked into the London coffeehouses. People did business at them for ages, but they must have faded in mid-19th century? Not sure. I'll try to find some links. Here's one for starters.

Almost from their inception, the London coffee-houses each began to develop its own specialised clientele, and each soon became identified as the meeting place for a particular occupation, interest group, or type of specialised activity. By and large, the type of clientele was determined by the area of London in which the coffee-house was located. Coffee-houses such as Lloyd's or Garraway's, located in the area around the Royal Exchange, were, for example, the gathering places for businessmen of the city, and those such as the St. James and Cocoa-Tree, located in Westminster, were frequented by politicians. Many of the coffee-houses near St. Paul's Cathedral were the haunts of clergymen and intellectuals who gathered to discuss theology and philosophy. Some coffee-houses became so identified with specific groups or interests that an early London newspaper, The Tatler, printed its stories under coffee-house headings.

J. Pelzer and L. Pelzer, "Coffee Houses of Augustan London," History Today, October 1982, pp. 40-47.

Lloyd's of London started out life in a coffeehouse!

I think you could even rent booths and services. It must have been a considerable step down from having a real office. Seems like Mr Sedley in Vanity Fair was embarrassed to conduct his business in one when his company got in trouble and he didn't have an office anymore.