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I think they are particularly attractive, and it's good to see the profile of this most important of anniversaries maintained.  For more information, visit Norvic Philatelics - there is a much more information on the design, background information, and how to buy first day covers etc (and I also linked to their images).  I have to say, I never thought I'd blog about postage stamps, but there you go!

[Post edited to remove direct links to the images]

The Guardian yesterday reported that the UK Culture Secretary plans to introduce a cinema-style "age-rating" for websites.  He's apparently going to contact Barack Obama once he's got up and running in the White House to try and set up some form of web site certification.  Not being one to set his sights too high, the "plan" is to involve only English language sites, but to compel ISPs to provide packages to provide the means to block unrated sites.

I presume such packages would be OS-independent, and an optional add-on.  Of course a number of likely problems loom over the horizon, including the scale of the internet.  How many web sites are there out there?  Back in February 2007, this question was asked at Boutell.com, and the answer was " more than 108 million".  Goodness knows how accurate that estimate is, and how the number may have increased since then!   The same site estimates the number of web pages in February 2007 to be in excess of 29.7 billion.

What perturbs me about the moves to net censorship (for that is really what all these "plans" are in actuality), is that a great deal of resource will be used to implement them, at a time when resources are scarce, and perhaps might be better employed in improvements to the network hardware, at least in the UK.

I spend several hours a day on the internet, both at work and at home, and rarely encounter offensive web sites.  Of course that might reflect my standards of "offensive", but most probably that I don't go looking for dubious web sites.  So is there really a problem?  Do kids root around the web looking for dodgy material?  Do they routinely get exposed  to nasty people and ther opinions or activities?  I don't really know the answers to these questions, and nor, I suspect, do those politicians advocating greater interference in the internet.

After all the brouhaha surrounding the "Great Firewall of China" and its impact on internet freedom in China (but mostly as it affected western journalists their to cover the Olympics), it's been instructive to see the limited fuss over the IWF's recent tribulations, the bizarre net filtering plans of the Australian Government, and the UK Government's plans to keep a database of all our communications (the interestingly named  Interception Modernisation Programme).  Finally, beware function creep - what may be offered as an optional "feature" by the ISPs, may end up as compulsion by central Government.

Postscript - to brighten up this blog entry, I did a quick Google image search, only to discover a genuine app called Net Nanny. 

News reports on the BBC somewhat precede April 1st.  Apparently the Scottish National Party want an airbase in Scotland  to be used as a Scottish spaceport.

The party's Westminster leader, Angus Robertson, wants Virgin Galactic to use RAF Lossiemouth in his constituency as a base for space tourism.  

This story follows the unveiling of Richard Branson's latest weird venture, a twin fuselage aircraft to be used to lift spacecraft filled with space tourists to 50,000 ft.  Apparently this bizarre aircraft has now been flown over California. 

This graphic from the BBC page explains how the system works.

The somewhat grandiosely named Virgin Galactic suggest the system could be used as a means of getting satellites into orbit, and believe it would be cheaper than current launches.

In the meantime, enthusiastic punters are supposedly queuing up to couch up $200,000 for brief hop into the inner reaches of space.  One wonders how glamorous they'd find RAF Lossiemouth. I suspect they might find the accomodation a bit spartan.

Judging from Google Maps, it looks as though they have a golf course at least.

Finally, Mr Robertson says:

"Virgin Galactic proposals are an iconic and inspirational opportunity, which would bring technology investment, jobs and tourism, as well as science and educational opportunities," he said.

"I am keen to meet with the science and innovation minister, Lord Drayson, and discuss in detail how this cutting-edge project can be taken forward.

"It would be a mistake to underestimate the tremendous potential of these flights which will probably also launch satellites into orbit, as well as offering tourist flights into near Earth orbit."

Sadly, while Virgin Galactic spokesman Will Whitehorn  seems keen, he also suggests two other UK sites are equally suitable.

I see from the BBC news site that panda diplomacy is on again - China has gifted two giant pandas to Taiwan.  I admit that giant pandas are cute, and have the interesting novelty of a extra digit (the "Panda's Thumb") that is derived from a modified sesamoid bone.  But, really, a carnivore that subsists on a diet that is 99% bamboo, that cannot digest cellulose, and which needs to consume 9-14 kg of bamboo shoots a day has been dealt a rather unfortunate hand!

On the other hand, this YouTube video never fails to make me laugh:

[video:http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=FzRH3iTQPrk 435x350] 

Other interesting facts:

• the newborn giant panda cub weighs only 150g
• there are two subspecies
  
• giant pandas are unusual in having no medicinal use (in traditional medicine)
• pandas lose interest in sex once in captivity - scientists have tried to arouse them with panda pornography