Hello everyone, sorry for being gone for so long, but life’s been a little crazy. I got rid of all my stuff and moved out of London, traveled across the Baltic and just finished an eight-week road trip across North America in search of a new place to live. So things have been a bit busy lately.

At the moment, I have a big chuck of time that I’m using to try and increase my monthly income online via my main other projects: coin by coin and silver clipboard.

While Miscellanea is by far the most popular of the websites I run, it also brings me almost no income — so I’m going to have to devote the least time to it. I’ll try to aim for updates every two weeks or so, but no promises.

If you have a question, don’t ask God, ask Google.

(Nod to Nicholas Utschig for our Facebook conversation about this)

Last week Google’s street view came to London and oh Lordy did the English flip out. I can’t count the number of conversations where I’ve had to explain to Londoners that London is not the first city to get street view and that, no it’s not only for pedophiles, perverts and nosey parkers.

The thing that really gets me in these conversations is that London is the most surveilled city in the world. There are more than 500,000 cameras in the city. People aren’t getting mad because it’s one more camera, there apparently getting mad because it’s a camera they have access to.

The way I look at it, there are three options for cameras in public:

1. Cameras for None. No one can take video or photos of a public area. This is practically impossible.
2. Cameras for Some. Limiting camera access to a trusted few is the worst option. People with power and grudges, can and do abuse their access with little to no oversight.
3. Cameras for All. This is the best option — if there are going to be surveillance cameras in public areas, then the footage should be available to the public.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. Bottom line, Google’s London Street View is awesome.

It’s really horrifying the number of obese people in many parts of the States — it’s time to get organized and go on a diet, America.

Also, notice that 10 of the top 10 fat States are a who’s who of the Confederacy — any ideas why that is?

You can get this poster at the miscellanea store.

Update:  Interesting, it seems that the Economist put up an article this week that relates to the comic.  Apparently, religious people are more likely to ask for dramatic medical treatment, even if of dubious value, to extend their life.  Atheists are less likely.

Check out Religion, Medicine and Evading Death: But not yet, Lord on the Economist.

I discovered The Secret! If you beat the crap out of new age, manifesting hippies according to their stupid beliefs, it’s not your fault. It’s their own fault. Wheee! I know what I’m doing this weekend.

Something a bit mushy (plus physics) for Valentine’s day.

If you haven’t read it already, I recommend Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One’s Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments by Justin Kruger and David Dunning from Cornell University.  Best.  Scientific paper.  Ever.

My ultimate dream is to become one of these people — I’m trying my best, but so far failing : ).

The photographs in the comic are by buggolo, chrischappelear, guwashi999, * Maurice * and dawvon