I try to use open source software and open standards as much as I can. I try to persuade others to do likewise, but I end up using various proprietary systems anyway. I think that nearly all of those are so that I can participate in social networks.

I use Skype to communicate with family and colleagues because it has become the default for VOIP. I know there are open VOIP platforms, but I don't have time to support family in setting them up and my work colleagues are unlikely to change.

Can we expect sites like last.fm to go open source? Others, such as Facebook, are even less likely to as it would enable others to compete on features.

This post was inspired by this article about using identi.ca rather than Twitter. The quote from ESR is choice. I'm on both because some people I want to follow are only on Twitter. identi.ca only has a small fraction of the Twitter user base. That doesn't stop me having some great discussions there. I'd love to drop Twitter, but don't want to lose that part of my social network. So practicality triumphs over principle again.

We've been recycling to some extent for many years. It used to be just newspapers and bottles to the local 'banks', but for a few years now we had a household collection that takes cans, some plastics, paper and card. Last year we found that we could take drink cartons to a local dump for shipping off somewhere to be recycled. So our black bin for stuff that goes to the landfill wasn't getting so full. At the end of last year we got little brown bins for food waste. That should make for a less smelly bin. We try not to waste food, but the kids and the cat don't always eat everything.

Today we get a brochure from Bedfordshire County Council to say that the green bin scheme is being extended to take a lot more materials including foil, plastic bags, drink cartons, textiles and most plastic packaging. This is great news, assuming that they really can find outlets for it all. I've heard that waste paper prices are very low these days. They don't specify what happens to it all and their web site doesn't have any new information. Still, if it reduces the need for landfill and raw materials it has to be good. I'll be interested to see how much goes in the black bin in future.

The downside is that it makes our new set of 3 stacking bins we just bought slightly redundant. They can still be used for glass and for collecting stuff that goes in the green bin.

I've been getting rid of some stuff on Freecycle to try and clear the house of unused junk. There's still more. Books and DVDs will go to charity shops. It might be nice to get some money for some of it, but most is not worth much. Putting it on evilbay is too much hassle.

I've read just about everything by Neal Stephenson. His books are pretty geeky and that's what I like. This one is different in that it is set on another planet, but it's not that alien. Civilisation there has split between the general populace and orders of monk-like 'Avout' who cut themselves off in their 'Concents' (monasteries) for powers of 10 years to study science, philosophy etc, but with little 'modern' technology. Their long-term thinking has chimed with the Long Now Foundation who helped to launch the book.

The story follows a young avout through various adventures as his stable lifestyle is disrupted by world-shaking events. It's a fun adventure, but is seriously stretched out by lots of philosophical discussion. Some of that went over my head. By the time I got to the end I had lost track of who some of the characters were, but I may do better on a second read. The book includes a useful glossary for the many words he has made up and some appendices expanding on thought experiments mentioned in the story.

I enjoyed the book. It could have been shorter, but at least he managed a better ending than he usually does. I would recommend working through his earlier books before tackling this one.

I'll update the details on my book list. The concept has been expanded to include a CD of music that the avout would use in their ceremonies. Not sure I'd listen to it for fun.

I'm not sure what I will read next. We have various books that I've not read yet, but I also have some magazines that I've not got around to reading. I spend far too much time trying to keep up with all the interesting stuff on the web. We are being overwhelmed with data. Even if you filter out the crap there is still too much for any one person to deal with, even within a limited field.