Competitive sports
Competitive sport shouldn’t be at odds with non-physical or non-competitive activities according to our CIXen, but how do we make allowances for the smaller in the class who don’t match up to the physical stature of their classmates? The debate covered the idea of ‘minor’ sports, as well as the problem of bullying. Should PE be streamed like Maths is? Should variety of one-on-one sports or even tai chi be introduced to cater for a more diverse range of students than football or athletics does?
You can share your stories in: forums:sasha_lubetkin/3controversy:9795

Bribe of the month
If our political elite seem to promise the earth and deliver nothing, then turn your eyes to Uruguay, where the once and future president is promising a free tablet to all resident pensioners. Vazquez is credited with a passable job at post-2002 economic recovery and used to be the nation’s number one oncologist.
In: forums:uruguay/general:3513

Taking Offence
I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue host Jack Dee threatened to quit this week after complaints about innuendo on the show. Dee maintained that innuendo was a common part of the show and if he was told to rein it in he wouldn’t stay with the show. CIXen agreed that the great thing about innuendo is it only means something to the already corrupted. But then perhaps any outrage is simply a nice bit of coverage before the new series starts.
Wade in on: forums:bbc.radio/r4i:8523

Books bound by… what?
A recent discovery of a book bound in human skin at Harvard University is not as uncommon a tale as you would think. Covering books in human skin, known as anthropodermic bibliopegy, was common practice in the 19th Century and in the UK, Bristol records hold a book covered in the skin of John Horwood, hanged for the murder of Eliza Balsum. The cover of the book was
embossed with a skull and crossbones, with the words “Cutis Vera Johannis Horwood”, meaning “the actual skin of John Horwood”, added in gilt letters.
Join the gruesome debate in: forums:wur/most_grueseome:2474

Jokes:

I had to call the AA the other day as my car wouldn’t start. The AA man said that the starter motor wasn’t engaging with the flywheel. I asked whether that meant I needed a new starter motor, he replied, “Maybe, maybe not. It’s all a matter of a pinion”.

Luis Suarez banned from any football-related activity. Arsenal are reportedly showing immediate interest.

An artist asked the gallery owner if there had been any interest in his paintings currently on display. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” the owner replied. “The good news is that a gentleman inquired about your work and wondered if it would appreciate in value after your death. When I told him it would, he bought all fifteen of your paintings.”
“That’s wonderful!” the artist exclaimed, “What’s the bad news?”.
With concern, the gallery owner replied, “The guy was your doctor.”

Spirituality
CIXen asked (and answered) a very curious question this week. What do people mean by the term ‘spirituality’? Can anyone, even an atheist, be accurately described as spiritual? The discussion covered the idea that we are all spiritual but we approach it from different points, some from religion and some not. The discussion also led to wondering if science could ever truly represent what is going on in someone’s mind.
Join the discussion: cix:sasha_lubetkin/6ask_aunty:5739

How deep is my station?
Ever wondered just how deep underground you are when you’re waiting for the next tube? CIXen shared an interested website which is able to show you just how deep you are – not for the claustrophobic.
cix:london/transport:2396

How do they do it?
Bird lovers – how do blackbirds gather up so many worms at once without dropping them? CIXen wondered if, like a puffin, they have a backward-pointing horny papillae on the upper palette.
Offer your expertise: cix:birds/3twitterings:3073

Ok Go
CIXen shared the latest clever video from OK Go who produced the original treadmill video. You can view this one: cix:pointers/5www:4220

Online shopping
A businessman looking to expand to an online shop turned to CIX for advice this week. Suggestions from fellow business owners included ZenCart plus PayPal and Volusion which offers a fully managed system. Technical issues of upgrades and updates to what is available as well as payment compliancy were important considerations made.
Help out: cix:own.business/17chatter:2964

Jokes:

Football is a bunch of millionaires ruining a lawn – Charlie Brooker.

This week on the CIX forums:

eBay
Should eBay behave more like a normal auction, and adjust the time when a new bid is made rather than allow swiping in the last few seconds? This could end up with more chance for the seller to make more money on the items they’re flogging as it would force buyers to engage for longer. Or would it put people off completely as they wouldn’t be able to win at the last second? Join the conversation on cix:ebay/4general:4495

The American CIX
It would seem CIXen have found their overseas peers in conferencing forum ‘The Well’. The Well’s story and fortunes are very similar to CIX, though some members who have tried both didn’t think it had the same friendly feel.
Read more in cix:pointers/5www:4181

British Values
Raffles called off have been dubbed an attack on British values – but aren’t we more than a raffle in a village hall? Is Gove’s British Values campaign facing the same fate as John Major’s Back to Basics?
The debate continues: cix:politics-open/15general:3011

Superstition tested
The BBC told the story this week of a man who has had to flee to Finland from India for fear of his life. Sanal Edamaruku took on a Hindu Fakir who claimed he could kill anyone with tantric chanting but after hours on live television Edamaruku showed little sign of even discomfort, let alone death.
Lend your voice: cix:humanist/5superstition:1616

Journalists under fire
Eagle eyed CIXen have noticed seemingly contradictory articles by journalists writing in different publications this week. Whilst in one, they are crying outrage at the sugar laden treats we’re all giving our children, in another, they are ‘fat and proud’. Another day, another dollar, or should journalists have more pride than that?
cix:private_eye/11wibble:2882

Well it’s very nice, but is it Art?
The BBC’s look at 10 important photographs from a new collection raised lots of queries about photography and whether it can be art. CIXen waxed lyrical over a photograph of two buckets – the Holy Pail, if you will – and noted that it speaks volumes. About 10 litres.
cix:photo/12general:1434

Jokes:

A classic every time:
The England World Cup team visited an orphanage in Rio today.
“It’s heartbreaking to see their sad little faces with no hope,” said Bernardo, aged seven.

Steven Gerrard reveals that England are preparing for World Cup penalty shootouts by practising shaking their heads while looking dejected.

CIXen Wendy Grossman has published a few more pieces on CIX recently, including a look at the issue of insecurities in our networks and data breaches on sites like eBay and Target, and a piece on the lifespan of software and our need to think of it as a forever product, not a short-term one. She has also put forward her views on the ruling that Google must take down links that a user does not want to be associated with, saying that search engines are not the only way to find information online and we should be teaching less lazy alternatives.
cix:Wendyg.public/articles:104
cix:Wendyg.public/articles:105
cix:Wendyg.public/articles:106

Another week, another security breach and this time True Crypt had CIXen worried. In true CIX style, this has turned into a debate on religion and politics, but you can still make up your mind on the NSA conspiracy theory at: cix:linux/10lounge:2238

In cash we trust: A CIXen was concerned this week that supermarkets could potentially link a credit card to a customer in order to track items in a weekly shop even if no loyalty card was given. Fear not – this is likely to be against the data protection act, where information cannot be held longer than is necessary. Though of course, you might miss out on the vouchers.
cix:enquire_within/84general:10563

Jokes:

Steven Gerrard reveals that England are preparing for World Cup penalty shootouts by practising shaking their heads while looking dejected