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IT PRO speaks to Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth about the future for Ubuntu and Linux as a platform.

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I’ve been using the Askimet comment spam filter on this blog for well over a year now, and its just as well that I am as to date it has trapped a whopping 35,814 pieces of spam. The number of items that have sneaked through are so few and far between, it barely registers - we are talking about less than 100 items since I started using it, and all of those were intercepted by moderation, ensuring that not a single piece of blog comment spam has seen the light of day here.

However, the onslaught of comment spam is getting bigger, and I’ve decided that Askimet needs some backup. So, I’ve now implemented some heavy-duty CAPTCHA technolog. A CAPTCHA is a program that can tell whether its user is a human or a computer. You’ve probably seen them — colorful images with distorted text at the bottom of web registration forms and blog comment pages. CAPTCHAs are used by many websites to prevent abuse from “bots,” or automated programs usually written to generate spam. No computer program can read distorted text as well as humans can, so bots cannot navigate sites protected by CAPTCHAs.

I’m using reCAPTCHA, and in order to post a comment from now on, you’ll also need to key in both the words shown in the graphical display (with a space between them, as if you were typing two words normally) to prove you are you, and not a bot, or some comment-spamming cretin from a third world hole in the Earth. You can ask for a fresh image if the one you are presented with is too mangled, or even an audio prompt instead of the graphic.

London Undergroud seems hell-bent on trying to kill people, the weather seems hell bent on trying to kill people, and my colleagues seem hell bent on trying to kill people (the latter through alcohol poisoning, which is a good way to go). A mixed bag of good things, bad things, and a very boozy night in Brighton this week. All in all another voyage of discovery for the UK’s most controversial IT journalist and media whore:

1) Pownce has the makings of being a very useful application. Thanks to Simon Bisson for the invitation that gave me access to the service.
2) Sales of the iPhone have surpassed all sensible expectations, including my own. The likes of Nokia, Microsoft, Samsung and RIM had better hit the deck and start praying for a miracle, or failing that, just stop building handsets that are shit!
3) Sky offered me a really cheap deal on a second Sky+ box – in true Godfather style it was a deal I couldn’t refuse – surely proof I watch too much TV, or not enough, hence the need for a PVR.
4) I’m upset that Fopp has gone pop. Always used to go to their Edinburgh store when I was in the neighbourhood, and was a big fan of their enormous store on Tottenham Court Road (which they only opened a few months ago), just goes to show that even a kick-arse comedy club isn’t enough to compete against the super-slim margins of the online DVD and music retailers.
5) I’m probably going to have to find another route into work for the next week while Metronet and London Underground un-fuck the Central Line after today’s derailment.
6) If I took one useful thing away from our company outing to Brighton, it’s that I have a pretty good tolerance to the effects of a B52s.
7) If I took a second thing away, its that I probably shouldn’t send email to people after I’ve drunk eight of the things…..and several beers…..and a whiskey sour…..and a bottle of fruit cider……and four glasses of wine…..and two doubles of scotch……and a pint of Tetley’s.
8.) Starting to think about what to buy, what to bring with me and who else to bring with me to the Innocent Village Fete next month.
9) Have seen the running order for Frightfest, not overwhelmed by the majority of the films.
10) I have far too many computers that need reinstalling. Will have to take some time off to get them up to scratch.
11) I’ve inspired someone - cool!
12) Life is like painting a flower with funky reflective paint - just make sure you don’t buy an enormous canvas when the recipient only wanted a small one