Interesting Links for 12-9-2011

[andrewducker]

• British flowers are the source of a new cancer drug. The way things are going cancer may be cured before I get old!
  (tags: cancer uk medicine)
• Amazon reportedly working on Netflix-like eBook service. Yaaaay!
  (tags: amazon ebooks)
• Banks face biggest shake-up for decades
  (tags: banks banking UK politics)
• UK household budgets face 10-year squeeze
  (tags: uk finance economics)
• Ikea are altering their Billy Bookcases, because people don't keep books on them. Oh, and some stuff about the ebook revolution
  (tags: ebooks publishing books)
• Echofi - Better Spotify Radio
  (tags: spotify radio music)
• HMV sales continue to plummet. Is the high-street music store dead?
  (tags: music shops hmv)
• The Living Bridges Of The Cherrapunji. Amazing photographs
  (tags: bridge india nature photos)

Comments

[akicif]

Colchicine's been around for a bit, and a number of labs have been working on ways to modify its structure to make it less toxic to normal cells, but easily activated once it gets to where it's needed. The Bradford story, based around a paper that came out last year, seems to have hit the headlines again more because of the BA meeting and the uni's press office than bcause there've been any further advances.

The paper's abstract: http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/70/17/6902.abstract

[andrewducker]

Thank you, that's good to know.

I wonder when it will make it into general usage.

[andrewhickey.livejournal.com]

Re: echofi - it looks like it's doing the same thing as spotibot.com , but with fewer options...

[undeadbydawn.livejournal.com]

sell CD's at £3-5 new and I'll buy loads of them.

insist on pricing them at £10+ and I won't. Nor will anyone else.

I'm aware that HMV et al don't have that much control over pricing, but they sure as hell should argue with those that do. Or they die. [of course I'm assuming that they do, and just don't get anywhere]

incidentally, I buy from HogsHead regularly.

[a-pawson.livejournal.com]

It's surely only a matter of time until HMV disappears form the high-street. WH Smith is another shop I doubt will be around much longer (except for probably the overpriced ones in train stations).

[andrewducker]

Yeah, I do think that the current depression is likely to push the system further in favour of buying online, and push more high-street stores into oblivion.

[danieldwilliam.livejournal.com]

I think shops are going to struggle where getting your hands on the product before you buy isn’t important or where a strong service and advice element doesn’t exist.

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

Aw crap. Billy are already way too deep as it is if you want bookcases for paperbacks. I really don't know where I can find properly proportioned bookcases that are also tall enough and don't cost a bomb.

[andrewducker]

This is why I put up the shelves on the wall in the living room - I wanted to put up something the right size that was efficient, and not too deep.

[ashfae.livejournal.com]

Not if you like to double-stack your paperbacks, which I do; well, I don't like to, but it's required if I'm to fit as many books as I want to in my apartment. I've been using Billy bookcases for a donkey's years.

[alitheapipkin.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough, my calendar has a photo of those living bridges for this month, marvellous things.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I have bought a CD in HMV this year!

That said, it was something in the charts that was getting a lot of hype, so I expected them to stock it.

[octopoid-horror.livejournal.com]

I was about to say that I bought a big pile of CDs from Fopp as well, but that was last year. Everything else has been online.

Also, if you're buying chart type stuff physically, you're best off buying from a supermarket most of the time. Something mainstream (or within the non-mainstream genres that HMV stocks) but not in the chart - Amazon will be usually be cheaper. Something obscure? Buy from an online store that handles that sort of thing.

[khbrown.livejournal.com]

Think I bought a couple of two for £10 CDs in April. However even there checked online beforehand. HMV are just expensive and have a poor selection compared to Amazon etc.