• The Best of Technology Writing 2007 – I just finished reading this book myself yesterday. I was considering writing a review but Ars got there first and said it better than I would have done!
• Protests in Tibet erupt into violence – Violence is never a good thing, but the Olympics is undoubtedly a good time to try to raise the profile of the plight of the Tibetan people.
• Open Rights Group questions Phorm – Good to see TalkTalk, BT and Virgin Media’s abuse of their own customers getting more press.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Fuzzy.” Here is my entry. Here I’m using the misty, hazy and indistinct definition of “fuzzy.” This image was taken in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Art.” I’m number 130.

The desert is so vast, stretching off as far as the eye can see in every direction, that from a human scale it appears to be infinite. Which is fortunate as that is this weeks PhotoFriday theme. This image was taken in Wadi Rum, Jordan.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “What is that?” I’m entry number 299.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Mountain.” Here is my entry.

This picture shows the Himalayas from the Nepalese side. It was taken on my brief stop in Kathmandu before heading into Tibet.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Passage of Time.” I’m entry 232.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Passage of Time.” This is my entry.

The varying colours and textures of these sandstone cliffs in Petra, Jordan show the passage of time on a geological scale.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Best of 2007.” I’m entry number 272.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Best of 2007.” This is my entry.

This is what I consider to be my best picture of 2007¹ which, of course, isn’t exactly what the theme suggests. It was taken in Wadi Rum, Jordan.

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Sunrise.” I’m entry number 59.

This weeks PhotoFriday theme is “Sunrise.” Here is my entry. This was taken after a night-time climb up Mount Sinai in Egypt. Hard work but worth it in the end!

Please also vote for my entry in last weeks challenge, “Primitive.” I’m entry number 68.

The alarm call comes much too early at 1am. I head down for some tea and then to the mini-bus for the short ride to the start of the walk up Mount Sinai, the location believed by the three major religions, to be where Moses received the ten commandments from god. No such grand scheme here: by leaving at this ungodly hour I should see the sunrise from the top.

A friend, far more well travelled than I am, told me that her favourite place on Earth is Wadi Rum so to say that expectations were high for this part of the trip would be an understatement. Of course viewing the world through someone else’s eyes can be a curse as well as a blessing.

The day started from Petra in four wheel drives, rumbling along tarmac for a while. We nipped off road a couple of times to take in some views and the tame conditions just off the main road made me question how rough things were going to get.

Whenever you see Petra in the media you see a picture of the Treasury. I just did a web search and the top three links with pictures all used such an image, often with a camel sat in front.

Let’s not beat around the bush here: Al Khazneh, the “proper” name of the Treasury, is spectacular. It’s a two thousand year old, forty metre high carving straight into the sandstone rock face.

The surprising thing, given that it’s about the only image of the place you’ve seen beforehand, is that there is so much more to Petra than just the Treasury.